Welcome Back to the Play Barn!

Our Play Barn reopened yesterday, and our visitors have been noticing it has had a pretty big facelift! We’ve had lots of messages over the last few months from people wondering what was happening with it – so here is our simple guide to Tapnell Farm’s Play Barn 2.0:

What’s new in the Play Barn?

The first thing you will notice is we’ve moved the entrance slightly – it’s still opposite The Cow Co Restaurant, but the door is round the other side and you have to walk through a gate that used to say “No Entry”. Pretty straightforward so far? Yes, but it is worth mentioning this is still only a temporary entrance… more about this later.

When you enter the Play Barn the first thing you will notice is the area where the Zip Wires used to launch from has been replaced by a completely new ride on tractor zone, and a raised seating area – which links up to a completely new eating area! Last year the most regular request we had from our visitors was for somewhere to eat where they can keep an eye on the kids while they are at play – so here it is!

Serving a range of toasties, sandwiches, snacks, drinks and other refreshments, Tapnell Farm Park Café is totally separate from The Cow Co Restaurant, with loads of indoor and outdoor seating on offer.

To the side of the new seating area is the Play Barn’s biggest new feature – a three-storey soft play area! Packed with ball pools, slides, climbing areas and lots more, the soft play area is split into separate zones for all ages of kids.

Where have the Zip Wires and Straw Bales gone?

The Zip Wires and Straw Bales have both moved out of the Play Barn to make way for the other exciting stuff to come in – but they will be back sooner than you think! When Tapnell Farm Park opens at the end of June it will feature a whole host of new play areas – the Straw Bale tunnels will be back bigger and better than ever, and the Zip Wires will be moving into a brand new area!

Can we still buy season tickets?

Of course you can, but we aren’t calling them season tickets anymore. We are selling 12 month annual memberships for Tapnell Farm Park. Instead of them only lasting one season (regardless of when you buy them) these will last a full 12 months from the date of purchase – and unlike many attractions on the Island, Tapnell Farm Park will be opening all year-round, so you should be able to get plenty of use out of them!

Because the Play Barn will be open for 3 months before the Farm Park annual passes come into effect, we are giving anyone who buys one now use them to get free entry into the Play Barn in the meantime. Plus… they will still be valid for 12 months after the Farm Park opening date – so if you buy them now you can get 14 months-worth out of them for the price of 12.

Can we still eat at The Cow Co Restaurant?

Yes… you are still more than welcome to use The Cow Co Restaurant. You will get a wristband on your way into the Play Barn, so you can leave and come back again – just show your band to our admissions desk on your way back in. The Cow Co Restaurant gets very busy at weekends and during holidays, so it is worth booking ahead if you want to eat there – call their Restaurant team on 01983 758725 for bookings.

We’ve heard you are getting animals… can we see any of them yet?

The animal experiences at Tapnell Farm will be available at the end of June when our Farm Park opens. We have brought in quite a few new residents, in addition to rehoming some of the animals from Seaview Wildlife Encounter – but many of them still need time to settle in, and we are still building enclosures for others. There will be plenty of hands-on experiences waiting for you when we do open though!

Ok so what is this Tapnell Farm Park thing you keep talking about?

Tapnell Farm Park is the name of the new attraction we will be opening on June 29th 2016. Incorporating the existing Play Barn, Jumping Pillow area, new Farm Park Café, former Tapnell milking parlour and barn, the former Straw Barn, and several large outdoor paddocks and areas, it will be the biggest attraction to open on the Isle of Wight for over 10 years.

Visitors will be able to enjoy lots of hands-on animal experiences with our new residents – everything from sheep and goats, to meerkats and wallabies! These will both be indoors and outdoors, so plenty of animal interactivity whatever the weather. Our kids play areas will more than double in size, with a giant indoor Straw Bale Play Area, Zip Wires, Pedal Go Karts and lots of other outdoor play spaces.

Of course everything you can see in the Play Barn today will also be there for you to enjoy, with the new Farm Park Café offering a great selection of lunch, snack and refreshment options for when you get hungry. And perhaps most importantly, we will be creating lots of outside seating areas where you can sit back and enjoy the amazing views at Tapnell!

There will be a completely new entrance at the other side of the Farm, and you will park your car in a different place. Don’t worry though, we will put plenty of signs up to tell you how to get in…

How much is this Farm Park going to cost?

The Farm Park doesn’t open in full until 29th June 2016 – in the meantime we have opened up the Play Barn at a special rate (up to and including 28th June 2016), with Children only paying the “off-peak entry” rate of £7.00 and Adults (and under 2s) going free.

We will of course be charging an entrance fee for the Farm Park when it opens, and with so much more on offer it will naturally cost more than the Play Barn did on its own last year. But we are still very keen to treat our regular visitors to special prices, hence we have brought in annual passes which get you in for a whole year, and pay for themselves in just over 4 visits…

Of course you can still come to Tapnell Farm for free and enjoy the views, surroundings and walks in the area, and if you want to grab some food or refreshment from The Cow Co Restaurant or browse our Gallery & Gift Shop you can.